Office-vote-restricting mechanism for voting-machines.



S. LOB. OFFICE VOTE RESTRIOTING MECHANISM FORVOTINGMAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1911 Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. LOB. OFFICE VOTE RESTRICTING MECHANISM FOR VOTING MAGHINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1911.

1,087,796. Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

.2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SYVER LOE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO LOE lvIULTIPLEX VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNE- SOTA.

OFFICE-VOTE-RESTRICTING MECHANISM FOR VOTING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SYVER Lon, whose post-oflice address is 2018 Twenty-first avenue south, Minneapolis, Minnesota, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oflice- Vote-Restricting Mechanism for Voting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it. appertains to make and use the same.

l\ly invention relates to voting machines, and has for its object to provide simple and eflicient mechanism for use in connection with a complete voting machine, whereby mechanism ordinarily adapted for use by the regular voters, to wit: men, may be adapted for use under limited conditions, by persons, such as women, who have restricted or limited voting rights. For in stance, women in many cities may vote for members of the school board and for members of the library board, and under some State laws, may vote for a few other oflices, while they have no rights whatever to vote for candidates for numerous other ofiices.

11y invention provides an extremely sim ple device whereby a complete voting machine, capable normally of use for full or complete voting, may be properly adjusted to meet the restricted voting conditions or privileges above indicated.

The invention, as shown in the drawings, is designed for use in connection with a voting machine of the general character or type disclosed and claimed in my co-pending prior application S. N. 623A54, filed of date April 26th, 1911, and entitled: Multiplex voting machines. The present invention, however, is not, of course, limited. to use in connection with a multiplex voting machine, nor is it limited to the special application in connection with the general type of machine disclosed and claimed in my said prior application. Inasmuch, however, as the drawings illustrate the invention especially de signed for application to said type of voting machine, I have, for the sake of clearness as to identity of analogous parts, used in this application the same reference numerals that are used in said prior application to identify like or corresponding parts,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 6, 1911.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914. Serial No. 625,509.

while the parts of the so-called oi'lice cutout or limiting mechanism are illustrated by reference letters. I

In the accompanying drawings, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view with some parts sectioned, illustrating the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in front elevatiom showing certain parts found in the vicinity of the line marked 00 a of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation on a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2, she-wing parts found in the vicinity of the line marked of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sec-- tion on the line 50* of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail and vertical section taken approxi mately on line m of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a detail and vertical section on the line a :0 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a detail of one of the so-called actuator lock pieces sectioned on the line w 022 of Fig. 5.

Of the parts of the machine shown, the numeral 5 indicates one of the wheel-like main frame brackets that are connected, by upright posts 6, and to which segmental. actuator supporting frames 13 are pivoted at 1 1. These actuator supporting frames are made up of upper and lower portions connected by vertically extended radial partitions 15 and upright channel-shaped ticket holders 16. The register actuators are ar ranged in several vertical columns and for each column of actuators there is a vertical column of laterally expansible vote limiting devices made up of threaded hubs l7 and nut members or gears 18. The socalled hub members 17 of each column are alined axially and are mounted to slide upwardly and downwardly on a fixed nonrotary shaft 19, shown as formed with a longitudinal key-way for the reception of a key lug in the said nut members. At its upper and lower ends, the several non-rotary shafts 19 are rigidly secured to the support 13. These laterally expansible vote limiting hubs or devices are disclosed and broadly claimed in my Patent 712,079 of date October 28th, 1902, entitled Voting machine and are again illustrated in my said prior co-pending application, and, hence, in this case, are illustrated only in part.

The nut members 18 are provided with external teeth, and, as shown, are mounted to rotate within the upright tubular casings 20 that are fixed to the support 13 and are cut away at their backs for a purpose which will presently appear. Suitable stop devices, not necessary here to consider, but preferably such as are disclosed and claimed in my I members, to properly limit the number of votes that may be cast for a candidate or candidates represented in the said groups.

In each column of actuators, there is an actuator or key for each candidate represented in the column and indicted on the ticket that is held adjacent to the column, by the adjacent holder 16. In the illustration given, each actuator comprises a register operating lever 23 and a finger lever or key 2d. The said levers 23 are intermediateiy pivoted on the respective tubular casings 20. The key levers 2a are intermediately pivoted on upright shafts 26 located just outward of the shafts 19 and mounted for oscillatory movements in the frame 13. Normally, the key levers 24- extend radially outward in respect to the machine case and when operated, they are turned directly over the printed name of the proper candidate on the ticket held by the holder 16 and to which candidate they are assigned. The outer end of each lever 23 is provided with a long slot 28 which engages a pin 29 carried by the inner end of the key lever 2 1. Each key lever 24 rests upon a so-called actuator restoring arm 30 that is rigidly secured to the corresponding shaft 26. The further purpose of these restoring arms 30 need not be here considered since a full disclosure thereof is given in my said prior co-pending application s. N. 623,4:54.

Resting directly on top of each register actuating lever 28 is an almost similar lever 32, in the arm of which is a slot 33 that is also engaged by the pin 29 of the correspondin key lever 2st. The slots 28 and 33 of the levers 23 and 32 intersect each other at an angle and each lever 32 is connected by a key lever or other suitable device to a corresponding nut member or gear 18 for rotary or oscillatory movement therewith.

The peculiar action of the levers 23, 2% and 32 is fully given in my said prior application S. N. 6233M and for the purposes of this case, it is only necessary to state that when a key lever 2st is moved from its norn al into a set position, the lever 32 will be first moved to actuate the vote limiting nut members 18 and then the inwardly projecting end of the lever 23 will be moved into a set position, shown in one instance n by full lines in. Fig. 1, so that it will then of l l l l l l j l l l stand in position to engage and operate an escapement lever 4:1 of a corresponding register 37, which latter is carried on. a vertically movable register supporting frame 43, indicated in part in Fig. 1 and fully disclosed in my said prior application S. N. ($23,454:.

The mechanism so far described in detail is that disclosed and claimed both broadly and specifically in my said prior application S. N. 6a3,4l5 l, and it is here re-stated that this particular mechanism is herein shown and described for illustrative purposes, and that the present invention, which ill now be described, is not limited to this particular application or cooperative relation.

O fice Mat/rioting orlz'm-i 7'L 777 66]LCL/7/& S77l'. The expression oilice restricting or limiting 1 mechanism is used in order to distinguish the present improved device from the vote limiting device used to limit the number of votes that may be cast for an office to which several may be elected, such, for instance, as judges of the district or State supreme courts, or for school boards, or par boards, and so forth. In the latter instances, it is the number of votes for the particular oflice that is limited or restricted, while in the improved mechanism, it is the number of oiiiccs represented on the ticket and for whom the voter may register votes to elect that is limited or cut-out.

Located adjacent to each column of register actuators is a vertically movable lock bar a, mounted in suitable guides on the adjacent partition 15 and having an upper end portion that works through a slot in the lower plate of the top portion of the frame 1. To the extended upper end of each lock bar a is secured a horizontally projecting stud or finger b. The stud Z) on the several lock bars a work in oblique cam slots 0 of a cam bar 0 The cam bar 0 in the illustrated construction is segmental or curved and is guided for endwise sliding movement in keepers c secured on the upper portion of the segmental frame 13. One end of the cam bar 0 is connected, by a crank rod f to the crank of small crank-sh aft mounted in suitable bearings f in the frame 13 and provided at its outer end with an operating arm or hand piece At various points, the lock bar a is provided with detachable lock pieces adapted to be applied for cooperation near any one or more of the register actuators of the columns. These lock pieces are preferably each made from a single piece of spring steel bent upon itself to form a body portion 9, a prong and a lock lug 9 The prongs of the lock pieces 9 are adapted to be insorted through seats a formed by cutting a C pressing laterally yokelike portions a the said bar a. When any one of these lock pieces 9 is applied, as indicated and as shown in the drawings (see particularly Figs. 3, 4, and 5) its lock lug or flange 9 will engage with a lock notch 70 formed in the adjacent lever 32 (see Fig. 4). When thus engaged, the corresponding key lever 24 and all other parts of the register actuator will be locked in their normal or inoperative positions, so that they cannot be used for the purpose of registering a vote. Otherwise stated, the register actuating lever 23 of the said lock actuator cannot be moved into a set position or into a position in which it will operate to actuate the corresponding register, by engagement with the lever 4 thereof. Hence, as is evident by the use of this improved so-called oflice restricting or limiting device and by the operation of the lock pieces to all those register actuators which are assigned to oflices for which particular classes of voters may properly vote, the machine may be quickly set for voting under the limited or restricted conditions indicated.

When the lock pieces are properly applied to the lock bars an and the crank is set in the position indicated by full lines, in Fig. 1, the said lock bars and the lock devices are held out of action so that the machine may be used to register votes of men just as if no Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for oflice limiting device were provided. When, for instance, a woman is to vote, the judge or attendant simply throws the lever f over into the position, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This will lower all of the lock bars a, and the lock pieces 9 so that the lugs g of the latter will engage and lock the levers 32 of all of the actuators except those assigned to the ofiices for which a woman may properly vote.

lVhat I claim is:

In a voting machine, the combination with several columns of registers, register actuators and vote limiting devices, of a lock bar for each column of register actuators, provided with dismountable lock pieces, and means for simultaneously moving said lock bars to and from operative positions, the said lock pieces in the normal positions of said lock bars being inoperative on corresponding register actuators, but in the operative positions of said lock bars serving to hold said register actuators out of action on the cooperating registers.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SYVER LOE.

\Vitnesses:

HARRY D. KILGORE, F. D. JMERGHANT.

five cents each, by addressing the Commlnioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

